FROM ME TO YOU

Tobi Amusan probably doesn’t know that she is the face of the new Nigeria that Nigerians desire. She is winning medals, she is packing laurels, she is breaking records, she is setting records, she is scoring firsts, she is flying high but I doubt if Tobi knows that she is the new symbol of hope for the Nigeria dream. The son of man can stay without food for hours. He may not even know where the next meal is going to come from. He may be in tattered clothes without having a shelter over his head. Man can cope with all these and life will still be going on but when hope is lost, everything is lost. If only Tobi knows that she represents that hope for millions of Nigerians today that Nigeria can be great again. Tobi has scored many firsts in a row. The firsts are too numerous to count and they are everywhere on the internet but it is remarkable that she is not just breaking existing records, she is consistently beating her own records and she is marching on. This is the best way to compete. If you consistently aim to outperform your best, you will see yourself flying above the altitude of your competitors.

It started like a joke. We touched on it casually if it became a matter of public discourse. Soon it was beginning to look like a movie. What looked like mere hazard metamorphosed to imminent risk. Now, it is looking like ours is a country under siege. The days we dreaded are here with us like an unwanted visitor. To say we did not know how we got here will amount to hiding the truth under our tongue. We muddled politics with governance and carried on as if we had the joker. There was so much we could do if we saw ourselves as a people, whose destinies are joined irrespective of our individual beliefs. Only that the vision is blinded when the love of power overpowers the power of love. The journey to the brink was not an overnight journey. It was a systematic journey we nurtured thinking it would fizzle away the way it came. Now, road travel is dreaded and the rail lines are so endangered. Like play, like joke, the schools are beginning to close. How else to know that we are succumbing to the wish of these intruders? Who have always maintained that western education is evil.

If we are given an option to choose between good report and the truth, many will settle for good report. Note of caution, not all good reports are good enough. The human mind naturally prefers good news but life is in two parts. Given the opportunity, man will even avoid the truth in self denial if it sounds unpleasant. Nothing unusual. That is the way we are wired. You can easily mistake a friend for a foe because not all of us are gifted with the use of words. Some say it as it is even when they mean no harm but it is not a virtue to play with words that pass the wrong message. Many times, the harmless intention causes more harm than is ever imagined. The more reason that truth should not be served in bitter pills. Truth does not have to be bitter but it should be told.

Nigeria is tough but who says we are alone in the struggle for survival? The whole world groans under the harsh reality of the times in a world best described as a global village. What separates my country from the rest is the willingness to stand up and be counted when the roll call of patriots is made. Truth be told, it takes more than courage to stand up for a country that sits when her citizens cry for help. Tough as things are, Nigerians are unable to get emotionally detached from Nigeria for whatever reason. It is not for nothing, this country is great and has all it takes to be greater. What defines the emotional attachment of Nigerians to Nigeria is inexplicable but a nation where the citizens first identify themselves by ethnic nationality and/or religious affiliation has failed her people. Nigerians love for Nigeria is not in doubt but daily and increasingly, Nigerians struggle to find reasons to continue to love Nigeria. The many things Nigerians love about Nigeria are gradually becoming questions unanswered. If I am in position to dialogue with my country, I will choose conventional method of communication, perhaps my message could travel slowly but find genuine answers devoid of deceit.

It was long in coming but eventually, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is out. He is undoubtedly a rugged politician who, in the face of the most difficult situation, stands up to confront his burden. He is as controversial as resilient. The United Kingdom cannot forget BJ in a hurry. As a keen follower of UK politics, I had thought that PM Boris Johnson would have been long gone as British PM after the partygate scandal. I was surprised that he survived the threat of a no confidence vote in April 2022 despite the overwhelming evidence of abuse of power when he broke his own rules at the peak of the COVID-19 restrictions. That PM BJ held on to power after the partygate scandal had nothing to do with his sagacity. It was more of the usual ‘politricks’ of ruling parties to cling to power even in the face of damaging scandals. The tories’ decision to keep BJ in power was not due to their love for him but a power game to keep the conservatives in power following the fallouts of Brexit under Boris Johnson. Same scenario played out to America’s Donald Trump during the inglorious invasion of the US Capitol on 06 January 2021

Why do we complain? We complain for so many reasons but many times we don’t have good reasons to complain. If the motive is right, there are enough good reasons to complain but some things you complain about will become needless if only you ask yourself what you intend to achieve by complaining. Some actions we take are products of reflex action that give us little or no time to think through the actions we are about to take. With the benefit of hindsight, if you think through some things you struggle for, you would realise that it is not worth it. Sometimes, it is more profitable to let go. If you don’t define your motive clearly, you will win some victories before you find out that they are empty victories after all that are not deserving of your time, energy and resources. Same applies if you don’t clearly understand your motive for complaining about what can easily pass unnoticed.

Sometimes back, I met two gentle ladies arguing who between the two is better skilled to perform a particular act. One said she has natural talent, only that she is too busy to put it to practice. The other performs the act regularly and is so confident of herself. Either was convicted of her belief but I waited for my opinion to be sought, lest I became an intruder. Mine was not to make one feel better than the other when my opinion was eventually sought but I reminded the first lady that passion, constant practice and consistency can displace the best talent that is kept in abeyance for too long a time. If you don’t use your talent, you will lose it. It is just a matter of time.

Have you ever experienced kindness from someone before and when you say thank you he tells you not to mention it? It’s a common occurrence. Sometimes he even goes further to say it is the least he can do, hence don’t mention. Can I tell you something? Please mention it. If possible, mention it again. Nine times out of ten, he is waiting for you to mention it so he can have the opportunity to tell you not to mention it. Even if it is the least he can do for you, still mention it. Not mentioning it sends a message not intended but oftentimes implied. Every man (and woman) likes to be appreciated. Beyond the gratitude the beneficiary of your kindness expresses, there is a more interesting side to being kind. It is the indescribable feeling of self gratification when you show kindness. For every act of kindness you show, there is an unspoken feeling. That feeling is more gratifying. I call it personalised kindness.

Nigeria is on the march again, looking for Mr President. The past week witnessed many memorable events. The most topical issue of the moment revolves around the choice of running mates for the elected candidates of the two major political parties. Some have said religion doesn’t matter. Those who take that position have their reasons. As things stand in Nigeria today, of course religion does matter. In a country where a particular faith is feeling persecuted, it sounds too simple to think that religion doesn’t matter in the choice of the combination of who lead Nigeria. However, the relevant question we should be asking is if religion should matter in the choice of running mate for any candidate who has his roadmap for changing the narrative for a country deeply in the woods. This is what I call the conundrum for my beloved country, Nigeria where merit panders to primordial sentiments. It is the failure of leadership that makes us to define competence by clan and/or religious affiliation.

Jeffrey Awoniyi is the youngest member of the Book Club @ Peace House. He is 7 years old. He was the symbol of the event. Jeffrey stole the show when he stepped out to give an account of his major take home from the book, Winning Strategies. He chose the topic “Face your Fear”. Indeed Jeffrey faced his fear when he defeated timidity and spoke to the audience. I was particularly thrilled with the way he held tightly to the book in a ‘don’t let go’ manner. He is a leader in waiting. The event was the book reading of Winning Strategies on Saturday the 4th of June, 2022. The Convener of the Book Club and Head of Service of Ekiti State, Mrs Peju Babafemi, displayed exemplary leadership. She is a leader indeed, a mother hen with a sea of committed followers who are leaders in their right. The lead discussant and my namesake, Professor Christopher Oluwadare, provided fresh insights to the book, even to me, the author. If only one can climb the professorial chair on account of name sharing, perhaps I would have borrowed his prestigious professorial title but wishes are not horses. I found a new friend in him.